In this tough economy, West Virginia nurses at the Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) system are breathing a sigh of relief after the Kanawha County Circuit Court rejected an appeal by their employer to deny unemployment benefits to the nurses who walked the picket line from October to December 2007. Turns out the hospital blew a filing deadline that the courts apparently intend to enforce. To the nurses of the West Virginia Nurses Association/UAN it’s a real vindication. Not only did the court refuse to allow the employer to skirt the law for its own convenience—it jammed up the hospital system’s union-busting practices. West Virginia Nurses Association’s Economic and General Welfare Chair Rue Hairston, RN, says the nurses
are ecstatic about the decision because it’s the David and Goliath story. Goliath keeps coming and David keeps winning. continue reading